Texas Oral History Collection - 123 Matching Results
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- Oral History Interview with Al Flocke, October 22, 2000
- Interview with Al Flocke, a radio operator during World War II. He discusses his flight training and being the radio operator on a B-24 bomber which did raids on Guam, Turk, Iwo Jima and other islands. He also relates anecdotes about food, rations, and living conditions on the islands.
- Oral History Interview with Alan W. Saunders, October 8, 2004
- Interview with Alan W. "Buck" Saunders, a pilot during World War II. He discusses joining the Army Air Corps, becoming an airplane mechanic, and going to flight school for pilot training. He was stationed in India and flew supplies into China over the Himalayas (known by pilots as "the Hump"). In China, he traded items such as jewelry or opium for information on Japanese troop placements in Burma. He also discusses his meetings with native Burmese and talks about later experiences he had after the war and during the Vietnam War.
- Oral History Interview with Alan W. Saunders, October 8, 2004
- Interview with Alan W. "Buck" Saunders of New Braunfels, Texas, a veteran of the Army Air Force during World War Two. The interview includes Saunders' personal experiences while in the Air Force, including the China-Burma-India Theater and memories of flying cargo to China over the Himalayas. Mr. Saunders also talks about life before and after his service.
- Oral History Interview with Albert Bouley, June 27, 2001
- Interview with Albert Bouley, a U. S. Marine during World War II. He discusses his enlistment in the Marines just after Pearl Harbor; his assignment to the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Division; the battle of Guadalcanal; malaria and dysentery; the battle of Cape Gloucester; the use of Pavuvu as a base; the battle of Peleliu; his return to the United States; guard duty at the Brooklyn Naval Yard and his service as an instructor in a heavy weapons school before the end of the war. He joined the Air Force 2 1/2 years later to be able to fly and work on planes, then retire to become a teacher in California, and finally settled in Texas.
- Oral History Interview with Albert E. Kennedy, April 15, 1987
- Interview with Albert E. Kennedy, a United States Navy veteran from East Prairie, Missouri, regarding his experiences and memories as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese after surviving the wreck of the USS Houston during World War II.
- Oral History Interview with Alf Brown Jr., March 26, 1974
- Transcript of an interview with Alf Brown Jr., an Army veteran (2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery, Texas National Guard) and a member of the "Lost Battalion," concerning his experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II.
- Oral History Interview with Billy Allen, March 1, 1976
- Interview with Billy Allen, a Marine WWII veteran and POW from Van Alstyne, Texas. Allen discusses his entry into the Marine Corps, deployment to Shanghai with the China Marines in 1940-41, arrival in the Philippines, the Japanese attack on Mariveles Navy Yard, the retreat to Corregidor, capture by the Japanese, and experiences in internment at Bilibid Prison in Manila, Cabanatuan, Osaka, and Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture.
- Oral History Interview with Bryghte D. Godbold, April 7, 1972
- Interview with Bryghte D. Godbold, a Marine WWII veteran and POW from Coy, Alabama. A brigadier general at retirement after the war, Godbold discusses his time in the Marine Corps before the war, his duties on Wake Island shortly before December 7th, 1941, his experiences during the Battle of Wake, the Japanese landing and American surrender, his internment at Woosung and Kiang Wang in China, and his last internment at Ashibetsu (Hakodate #4) in Japan.
- Oral History Interview with Buck Gibson, October 19, 2002
- Interview with Buck Gibson of Waco, Texas, a veteran from the United States Navy during World War Two. The interview includes some of Mr. Gibson's background before and after the war as well as his personal experiences while in the Navy, including memories of his training, life in the Navy, the sinking of the USS Indianapolis, and what happened after he was rescued.
- Oral History Interview with Buck Gibson, October 19, 2002
- Interview with Buck Gibson of Waco, Texas, a veteran from the United States Navy during World War Two. The interview includes some of Strauss' background before and after the war as well as his personal experiences while in the Navy, including memories of his training, life in the Navy, the sinking of the USS Indianapolis, and what happened after he was rescued.
- Oral History Interview with C. L. Permenter, October 25, 1972
- Interview with C. L. Permenter, a Marine WWII veteran and POW from Dallas, Texas. Permenter discusses his pre-war service with the North China Marines at Tientsin (Tianjin) and Peking (Beijing), the situation in Japanese-occupied China, his capture, and his experiences in internment at Woosung, Kiangwang, and Fengtai.
- Oral History Interview with Carl Peltier, March 4, 2001
- Interview with Carl Peltier, a U. S Marine during World War II. He begins by discussing his reaction to the attack on Pearl Harbor. He then joined the Marines when he was old enough. He trained in San Diego before shipping out to Hawaii where he joined the 2nd Marine Division. Further training included heavy weapons and mortars. Later, he landed on Saipan and describes his small arms and rations. He witnessed General Simon Buckner getting killed on Okinawa. He was later wounded on Okinawa. After the war ended, Peltier served in the Pentagon during the Korean War.
- Oral History Interview with Charles A. Cates, March 14, 1974
- Interview with Charles A. Cates, a businessman, U.S. Army veteran (2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery, Texas National Guard), and a member of the "Lost Battalion," concerning his experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II. Cates talks about the fall of Java and his capture, Bicycle Camp in Batavia (1942), Changi Prison Camp in Singapore (1942), building the Burma-Thailand Death Railway (1943-1944), Kanchanaburi, Thailand (1944), Bangkok, Thailand (1945), and his liberation.
- Oral History Interview with Charles Pase, April 12, 2001
- Interview with Charles Pase, a marine during World War II. He discusses joining the Marines and training on New Zealand and other Pacific islands. He describes landing on Tarawa, the battle of Tarawa itself, and locating and burying the dead bodies after the battle. He also talks about going to Hawaii for more training before going to Saipan, various guns and artillery he used, encountering natives on Saipan and being in Nagasaki after the bomb was dropped. He relates ancedotes about having tonsillitis during the Tarawa attack, fights that some Marines got into with local Hawaiians while training there and prejudices against Japanese-Americans, mistaking a land crab that pinched the back of his neck for a bayonet, getting Dengue Fever, and faking a landing on April Fools' Day.
- Oral History Interview with Chris Walker, February 11, 2003
- Interview with Chris Walker, a carpenter during World War II. He discusses working as a carpenter in the Marines at Camp Pendleton and on Tinian and Saipan. He was present at Okinawa and in Nagasaki after Japan surrendered. He also tells stories about generals, his colonel, rations, and friendly fire. He describes some of the memorabilia he kept.
- Oral History Interview with Cleatus A. LeBow, May 2, 2006
- Interview with Cleatus A. LeBow, a serviceman in the U. S. Navy during World War II. LeBow joined the navy in 1943 and went from Lubbock, Texas to San Diego for recruit training. He shipped out to Pearl Harbor aboard an LST from San Francisco. At Pearl Harbor, he was assigned to a work detail aboard the USS Oklahoma, which had just been righted. Shortly thereafter, he boarded the USS Indianapolis to serve as a range finder operator on one of the gun turrets. Upon leaving Hawaii, the Indianapolis went to Tarawa and then the Marshall Islands. LeBow witnessed Japanese civilian suicides on Saipan. He also witnessed the flag-raising on Iwo Jima from his range finder position aboard the ship. LeBow describes being hit by a kamikaze off Okinawa. He also discusses delivering atomic bomb components to Tinian and being torpedoed on the way to the Philippines. He describes abandoning the ship and spending five days in the water, including his faith in God, hallucinations, rescue, and his recovery.
- Oral History Interview with Clifford Warren, November 10, 1987
- Interview with Clifford Warren, a veteran of World War II spending 3 1/2 years in captivity following the Battle of Corregidor. Warren answers many questions regarding his participation in World War II and shares his experiences of being held prisoner in Japanese prison camps.
- Oral History Interview with Clyde J. Shelton, July 27, 1987
- Interview with Clyde J. Shelton, a United States Army veteran from Mexia, Texas, regarding his experiences and memories as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II after being captured when his artillery unit, the "Lost Battalion," was captured off the coast of java in 1942.
- Oral History Interview with Crayton R. Gordon, January 31, 1977
- Transcript of an interview with Crayton Gordon, an Army veteran (2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery, Texas National Guard) and a member of the "Lost Battalion," concerning his experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II.
- Oral History Interview with Dale R. Walker, October 4, 2007
- Interview with Dale R. Walker, a U. S. Marine during World War II. He joined the Marine Corps in 1944 and was trained in mortars at Camp Pendleton, California. He then went to Camp Tarawa at Hawaii for further training with the Fifth Marine Division. Walker landed with the sixth wave on D-day at Iwo Jima. While working with mortars supporting the infantry, he was called on to be a stretcher-bearer on occasion. Walker spent 36 days on Iwo Jima. After the Japanese surrendered, Walker served in the occupation of Japan.
- Oral History Interview with Dale R. Walker, October 4, 2007
- Interview with Dale R. Walker of Kingsville, Texas, a United States Marine Corps veteran from World War Two. The interview includes Hill's memories about growing up as well as his personal experiences while in the Marines, including details from his involvement in the Iwo Jima attacks, 3rd Battalion, and the occupation of Nagasaki.
- Oral History Interview with Darwin McMillan, September 16, 1985
- Interview with Darwin "Mac" McMillan, a long-term employee of Caltex from California, discussing his background, employment with Texaco and Standard Oil, the history of Caltex and his work as an executive there, his various assignment experiences in China the Philippines, Germany, India, and South Africa, and the oil market.
- Oral History Interview with David Braden, September 30, 2000
- Interview with David Braden, a member of the U.S. Air Force during World War II. He discusses his training in the U.S. to become a navigator; his deployment to Saipan with the 870th Squadron, 497th Bomb Group, 73rd Wing; initial attacks on Tokyo in a B-29 bomber at high altitude (during which the jet stream interfered with the bombing raids); a low-altitude fire-bombing mission over Tokyo in March, 1945; living conditions on base at Saipan; a mission in which the B-29 he was on ditched in the ocean and his subsequent rescue; Victory in Europe (V-E) Day on Saipan; completing 35 missions; and going home.
- Oral History Interview with David Lee Hill, September 20, 2003
- Interview with David Lee "Tex" Hill of San Antonio, Texas, a veteran from the United States Navy during World War II in the China-Burma-India Theater. The interview includes Hill's personal experiences while in the Navy, including memories of pre-war flight training in Florida, the Flying Tigers, and the Salween River Gorge attack.
- Oral History Interview with David Lee Hill, September 20, 2003
- Interview with David Lee "Tex" Hill of San Antonio, Texas, a veteran from the United States Navy during World War II in the China-Burma-India Theater. The interview includes Hill's personal experiences while in the Navy, including memories of pre-war flight training in Florida, the Flying Tigers, and the Salween River Gorge attack. There is a photograph and a short biography of Hill after the interview transcription.
- Oral History Interview with David Straus, September 17, 2001
- Interview with David Straus of San Antonio, Texas, a veteran from the United States Marine Corps during World War Two in the Pacific Theater as well as the Korean War. The interview includes some of Straus' background before the war and his personal experiences while in the Marines, including memories of Okinawa, various weapons, what happened at the end of World War Two, and his assignment in Korea.
- Oral History Interview with David Straus, September 17, 2001
- Interview with David Straus of San Antonio, Texas, a veteran from the United States Marine Corps during World War Two in the Pacific Theater as well as the Korean War. The interview includes some of Straus' background before the war and his personal experiences while in the Marines, including memories of Okinawa, various weapons, what happened at the end of World War Two, and his assignment in Korea.
- Oral History Interview with Dean M. McCall, February 26, 1971
- Interview with Dean M. McCall, Army Air Corps veteran and survivor of the siege of Corregidor. The interview includes McCall's personal experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II. McCall talks about the Japanese bombing of Nichols Field, the fall of Bataan, the fall of Corregidor and his capture, Bilibid Prison, hell ship to Japan, copper mining at Motiyama, Honshu, American air raids and naval bombardment, and liberation.
- Oral History Interview with Donald C. Brain, March 11, 1981
- Interview with Donald C. Brain, a United States Navy veteran from Long Beach, California. Brain discusses his experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II after his cruiser, the USS Houston, was sunk off the coast of Java in 1942.
- Oral History Interview with E. R. Dolinar, April 5, 2003
- Interview with E.R. (Ed) Dolinar, a serviceman with the U. S. Navy during World War II. He discusses going to boot camp, torpedo school and submarine school. He was on the SSN Stingray as a torpedo crewman that offloaded supplies and guerillas in the Philippines. It picked up stranded Japanese sailors and transported them to Australia. The Stingray was then decomissioned. He was then part of a crew that studied and stripped captured German submarines, and he discusses the differences between the U-boats and the US submarines. He also discusses the Bolomen, Filipino guerillas who fought the Japanese during the occupation. He also talks briefly about his experience of being hit with depth charges and gives his opinions on General MacArthur and President Truman.
- Oral History Interview with Ed Carseth, August 6, 2003
- Interview with Ed Carseth, a pilot during World War II. He discusses an early interest in aviation and earned his pilot's license through the Civilian Pilot Training program. He spent a year as an instructor before joining the Air Transport Command. Through 1944 he delivered aircraft to Australia before being assigned to Myitkyina, Burma. He speaks of living conditions at Myitkyina. He flew materials over the Himalaya Mountains (the Hump) from Burma to Kunming, China. Carseth relates anectdotes about General Claire Chennault, Lord Louis Mountbatten, and a squadron mate who kept a baboon.
- Oral History Interview with Eldridge Rayburn, January 16, 1980
- Audio interview with Eldridge Rayburn, a veteran of the Texas National Guard from Lubbock, Texas, about his experiences as a member of the "Lost Battalion" captured at Java in 1942 by the Japanese army during World War II. Rayburn discusses his memories of being in a Field Artillery unit, a prisoner of war, and surviving.
- Oral History Interview with Elliott Ross, May 1, 2001
- Interview with Elliott Ross who joined the U.S. Navy during World War II. He discusses being a landing craft coxswain carrying troops and supplies from ships to the shore in seven invasions: Guam, Leyte, Luzon, Santacristo, Iwo Jima, Okinawa and as an occupation force in Japan after the surrender. He talks mostly about Guam, Leyte, Luzon, Iwo Jima, Okinawa and Japan, but also mentions burials at sea and on the beachs, seeing his brother's ship get hit by torpedoes, and the emotional toll of the war.
- Oral History Interview with Floyd R. Thomas, February 18, 2009
- Interview with Floyd R. Thomas, a serviceman in the U. S. Army during World War II. He discusses his childhood and education at Peacock Military Academy. He then joined the army and spent time in Okinawa during and after the war. He recalls being a surgical technician and working with Japanese civilians after the surrender, meeting his wife, and working for saw mills as a salesman and a pilot. He remembers stealing pineapples on Hawaii and getting diarrhea, being treated for jungle rot, selling old Japanese army blankets to civilians, and shipping silk bolts and sabers back home.
- Oral History Interview with Floyd R. Thomas, February 18, 2009
- Interview with Floyd R. Thomas of El Paso, Texas, who is a veteran of the United States Armed Forces during World War II. In the interview, Mr. Thomas recalls memories from before the war as well as his time in the military, including his training in Oregon and Hawaii, attacks on Okinawa, and various battle scenes.
- Oral History Interview with Frank Fujita, November 9, 1970
- Interview with Frank Fujita, a Texas National Guard WWII veteran and POW from Abilene, Texas. Fujita recounts his experiences as a captured member of 2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery (the "the Lost Battalion"), including: joining the Guard and deploying to East Asia; diversion to Brisbane and assignment to Malang, Java; repelling a Japanese infantry assault; attempted evasion of Japanese forces before being captured; and internment and labor at Surabaja, Bicycle Camp in Batavia, Changi Camp in Singapore, Nagasaki, and Omori Camp in Tokyo. Fujita recorded his POW experiences in an encrypted diary.
- Oral History Interview with Frank H. King, December 12, 1978
- Interview with Frank H. King, a United States Marine Corps veteran from Shamrock, Texas. King discusses his experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II after his cruiser, the USS Houston, was sunk off the coast of Java in 1942.
- Oral History Interview with Freddy Rios, March 19, 1987
- Partial recording of an interview with Freddy Rios, a veteran who served in the Vietnam War during 1967 and 1968. He discusses his experiences as a soldier, including being wounded and the events that led to him receiving the Distinguished Service Medal.
- Oral History Interview with Garvin Kowalke, January 23, 2001
- Interview with Garvin Kowalke, a pilot during World War II. He discusses joining the Army Air Corps, going to Air Cadet training to become a pilot, and training on various aircraft (AT-17, UC-78, P-36, P-33, T-6, BT-13, B-17, B-29) before becoming a B-29 pilot; he shipped out to Guam and flew standard and fire bombing runs over Japan. He discusses having to ditch the plane on the way back to Guam once when the engines failed, seeing another B-29 crew have to bail out over Toyko Bay and get picked up by a U.S. submarine that was in the Bay, getting pulled down to the fires when they were trying to hide in the smoke to avoid Japanese fighter planes, and getting caught in a storm by Mount Fujiyama, as well as collecting data such wind direction, speed, and temperature over Hiroshima for future bombing runs, which turned out to be for the bombers who dropped the atomic bomb. He also talks about flying over Hiroshima two days after the bombing and gauging how high the radiation levels were at different altitudes. He also talks about being in the Korean and Vietnam Wars, becoming a B-57 pilot, and adopting a baby boy from Germany after the war, then a little girl while he was stationed in Hawaii after the Korean War.
- Oral History Interview with Gayle Reaves-King, April 4, 2012
- Interview with Gayle Reaves-King,a journalist in Fort Worth, Texas. The interview includes biographical information about her life growing up, her educational background, family life, and her career with The Dallas Morning News and other newspapers.
- Oral History Interview with George Burlage, November 18, 1970
- Interview with George Burlage, a Marine WWII veteran and POW from Visalia, California. Burlage was stationed in the Philippines before the war and fought at Corregidor in 1942 before his capture by the Japanese, after which he was interned at Camp Cabanatuan #3 in Central Luzon, Las Pinas airfield near Manila, and Moji, Japan.
- Oral History Interview with George Burns, March 12, 1974
- Interview with George Burns, a postal worker, farmer, U.S. Army WWII veteran (2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery, Texas National Guard), and a member of the "Lost Battalion," about his experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II. Burns talks about the fall of Java and his capture, Bicycle Camp in Batavia (1942), Changi Prison Camp in Singapore (1942), building the Burma-Thailand Death Railway (1942-1944), Kanchanaburi, Thailand (1944), Bangkok, Thailand (1945), and his liberation.
- Oral History Interview with George Koury, Jr., April 27, 1972
- Interview with George Koury, Jr., Marine Corps veteran and survivor of the Bataan Death March. The interview includes Koury's personal experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II. Koury talks about the Fall of Bataan and his capture, the Bataan Death March, Camp O'Donnell, Nichols Field, hell ship to Formosa and to Japan, Prison Camp No. 7, and liberation.
- Oral History Interview with George P. Lawley, November 3, 1973
- Interview with George P. Lawley, an Army WWII veteran and POW from Odessa, Texas. Lawley discusses his time with the so-called "Lost Battalion" on Java and his experiences as a Japanese prisoner-of-war, including: joining the National Guard in 1940 and training, deployment for East Asia with 2nd Battallion, 131st Field Artillery Regiment; diversion to Java at the start of the war; the Japanese attack and his unit's capture; and his experiences in internment and labor at Tanjong Priok in Batavia, Changi Camp in Singapore, Thanbyuzayat and several camps on the Burma Railway, and near Nagasaki.
- Oral History Interview with Gilberto S. Trevino, February 18, 2005
- Interview with Gilberto S. Trevino, a U. S. Marine during World War II. He attended Texas A&M before serving in the Marine Corps. He was in the 28th Replacement Battalion when he was assigned to the 3d Marine Division and deployed to Iwo Jima. He discusses his first impressions of landing on the island. He describes the constructed Japanese defenses on the island and the use of Japanese Nisei interpreters to convince defenders to surrender. He returned to Texas A&M where he was in the Corps of Cadets (ROTC) and accepted his commission in the Army in time to serve in Korea. He eventually earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Texas A&M and a doctorate degree in pathology from Michigan State University. He retired from service in 1976 with the rank of colonel.
- Oral History Interview with Glenn E. McDuffie, January 21, 2008
- Interview with Glenn E. McDuffie, an Armed Guard in the U. S. Navy during World War II. He discusses lying about his age in order to join the navy at 15 and his experience in boot camp. He served as an Armed Guard on merchant ships that transported supplies across the Atlantic and remembers being in London while German bombers flew overhead. He transported German prisoners out of Marseilles and Naples shortly after the liberation of those cities. He remembers going to Times Square upon hearing that the Japanese had surrendered. He claims to have been the sailor in the iconic photo of the sailor kissing the nurse in Times Square on V-J Day. He describes how he proved he was the sailor in the photo, what he did after the war, and how he learned that his brother survived the Bataan Death March.
- Oral History Interview with Glenn G. Morgan, February 17, 2005
- Interview with Glenn G. Morgan, a bugler in the U. S. Navy during World War II. He was a bugler aboard the USS Indianapolis and experienced a kamikaze attack during the Okinawa campaign. He also describes transporting the crate that contained the first atomic bomb to Tinian, the ship's sinking, and the four days and five nights he spent in a life raft waiting to be rescued.
- Oral History Interview with Granville T. Summerlin, June 9, 1981
- Interview with Granville T. Summerlin, a Texas National Guard WWII veteran and POW from Hughes Springs, Texas. Summerlin discusses his experiences as a captured member of 2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery, or the "Lost Battalion" of the 36th Infantry Division, including: being drafted in 1940 and training; deployment to East Asia and diversion to Brisbane after December 7th; assignment to Sangosari Airfield, Malang, Java; the Japanese assault and American surrender; internment and labor at Tanjong Priok and Bicycle Camp in Batavia, Changi in Singapore, Thanbyuzayat and several camps on the Burma "Death" Railway, and Bangkok; liberation, and recovery in Calcutta.
- Oral History Interview with H. William Taylor, January 20, 1986
- Interview with William Taylor, an executive at Caltex Petroleum Corporation from New York, about his experiences working for the company in the Philippines and Thailand, the joint venture refinery in Thailand, expansion of the company, and the move of headquarters from New York to Dallas.
- Oral History Interview with Harcourt G. Bull, July 31, 1972
- Interview with tax consultant Harcourt G. Bull, Army veteran and survivor of the siege of Corregidor. The interview includes Bull's personal experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II. Bull talks about the Fall of Corregidor and his capture, the Bilibid Prison in 1942, Tanagawa and Zentsuji, Honshu, and liberation. The interview includes an appendix with a notebook and a narrative written by Bull.